1976 French Grand Prix
| poletime = 1:47.89 | fastestlap = 1:51.0 | fastestlapdriver = Niki Lauda | fastestlapnation = AUT | fastestlapteam = | fastestlapnumber = 4 | winner = James Hunt | winnernation = GBR | winnerteam = | second = Patrick Depailler | secondnation = FRA | secondteam = | third = John Watson | thirdnation = GBR | thirdteam = | racecode =}} The 1976 French Grand Prix, otherwise known as the LXII Grand Prix de France, was the eighth round of the 1976 FIA Formula One World Championship, staged at the Circuit Paul Ricard on the 4 July 1976.'GRAND PRIX RESULTS: FRENCH GP, 1976', grandprix.com, (Inside F1 Inc., 2016), http://www.grandprix.com/gpe/rr272.html, (Accessed 13/02/2018) The race would be noted as the turning point of the 1976 Championship campaign, as Niki Lauda failed to finish for the first time since winning the World Championship in . Qualifying would see the Austrian racer beaten to pole by James Hunt, who was finally able to get some reliable running out of his . Lauda, meanwhile, would slot into second in his , while Patrick Depailler lined up the now race winning Tyrrell P34 into third. The start would see the continuation of the trend of the second place starter getting off the grid fastest, with Lauda duly shooting ahead of Hunt off the line. The Austrian's teammate Clay Regazzoni followed his lead by beating Depailler into turn one, with the rest of the field filtering through behind John Watson. Ronnie Peterson would be the star of the opening lap, charging past the two s to move into fourth, while Lauda pulled clear of Hunt and Regazzoni ahead. That, however, was about to change when the Austrian's engine expired on the ninth lap, gifting the lead to Hunt. Regazzoni remained a threat to the Brit for another nine laps, until his F12 Ferrari unit expired too, leaving the McLaren with a clear lead. The twin Ferrari failure meant that Depailler and Scheckter were promoted into the podium spots, both elbowing Peterson out of the way as the Ferraris detonated. Watson was next and challenging the Swede for fourth, while a series of retirements lower down left Carlos Pace in sixth. Peterson would ultimately rediscover his form after winning his scrap with Watson, charging off and passing Scheckter as half distance came and went. The South African himself would tumble down the order with an engine issue, dropping behind Watson, Pace and Mario Andretti, while Peterson chased down Depailler. Whether the blue-yellow could challenge the #4 Tyrrell would remain a mystery, however, as a fuel starvation issue caused the Swede to stop three laps from the end. With that the race was run, with Hunt cruising home to record his second win of the season, and first not to be contested by the scrutineers. Depailler came home second ahead of Watson, claiming his and 's maiden podium finish, although only after an FIA tribunal on the 24 September 1976 overturned their initial disqualification. Pace, Andretti and the limping Scheckter rounded out the points. Background The Circuit Paul Ricard would return as host to the French Grand Prix in , becoming only the second circuit in a quarter of a century to host the World's oldest Grand Prix in consecutive seasons.D.S.J., 'The 62nd French Grand Prix: McLaren Racing Recover', motorsportmagazine.com, (Motor Sport, 01/08/1976), https://www.motorsportmagazine.com/archive/article/august-1976/53/62nd-french-grand-prix, (Accessed 15/02/2018) Whether the new circuit, which was also hosting the race for the fourth time in six seasons, would secure itself as the permanent home of the French Grand Prix was yet to be seen, with the hot temperatures of southern France a major deterrent. Regardless, the class of 76' would return to the Paul Ricard Autodrome at the behest of the FIA, who overruled the FFSA's wish to host the race at the Charade Circuit. Into the entry list and there were several changes to the lower orders of the field, which continued to grow as old machinery was sold out of the big teams. Absent entirely were the squad, who had spent most of their budget to get Larry Perkins into an occasional top ten spot as they tried to overhaul . The Ensign team themselves were in a worse state than usual having lost the services of Chris Amon due to his Swedish accident, meaning they had to bring in Patrick Nève on loan. Nève's usual team, the British privateers RAM Racing, received a fair sum of money for loaning out the Belgian, allowing them to hire Damien Magee to partner Loris Kessel. Their pair of old Brabham BT44Bs looked rather healthy, particularly when compared to their successors being run by the full squad. Unfortunately for Carlos Reutemann and Carlos Pace, the team's decision to run with engines had yet to pay off in 1976, with failures and overheating still major concerns. Elsewhere, Ingo Hoffmann made his return in the second , partnering Emerson Fittipaldi once again now that the younger Fittipaldi's car had been rebuilt. Henri Pescarolo was also back with his privateer , run by British firm BS Fabrications, as was Guy Edwards in the second of the s. The factory Surtees effort was operating at full strength, fielding Alan Jones and Brett Lunger as usual, while the full Hesketh team were once again supporting Harald Ertl alongside Edwards' Rizla sponsored entry. Into the more financially stable section of the entry list and arrived in good spirits, in spite of their first confirmed defeat of the season in Sweden. Both Niki Lauda and Clay Regazzoni were among the favourites to win at Paul Ricard, the 312T2 looking well planted regardless of whether the circuit was a stop-start affair akin to Monte Carlo, or flowing like the Autódromo do Interlagos. The Italian squad also brought their usual spare car along too, which had been fitted with some updated suspension and bodywork. Elsewhere, arrived fresh from their historic victory at the Scandinavian Raceway, Jody Scheckter and Patrick Depailler keen to demonstrate the P34's superior front-end grip once again. were also happy despite their effort falling apart in Sweden, with Mario Andretti and Gunnar Nilsson both spending time testing the newest Lotus 77. , in contrast, seemed to be lost in their search for pace, with Frenchman Jean-Pierre Jarier hoping a strong result in France could tempt another team to take him on, while Tom Pryce looked nonplussed. had also been scratching their heads over their form, with James Hunt and Jochen Mass still stuck with a set of unreliable Hewland six-speed gearboxes. , meanwhile, would arrive in their usual legion form, with Vittorio Brambilla and Ronnie Peterson once again listed as their "A" team. Their "B" squad was also unchanged with Hans-Joachim Stuck and Arturo Merzario in action, with the latter getting an "new" 761 chassis. Into the lower end of the entry list and the squad were back up to their full strength, Jacky Ickx rejoining Michel Leclère in the team after his third victory at the 24 Hours of Le Mans. also made the trip to southern France, once again fielding John Watson with a wave of backers and sponsors also attending the event. Finally came the home heroes , who would enter Jacques Laffite as their sole entry, desperate to get onto the podium in front of the French crowd. Championship-wise, the first ever victory for the Tyrrell P34 last time out had propelled Scheckter up into second in the World Championship hunt, although he still had less than half the number of point of runaway leader Lauda. Depailler, meanwhile, had moved up into third, swapping places with Hunt (post restoration), while Regazzoni had tumbled down to fifth. The only other significant change came in the fight for sixth, where Laffite moved ahead of Mass. In spite of suffering their first officially recognised defeat of the season, continued to hold a huge advantage atop the International Cup for Manufacturer's standings. Their advantage over one-two finishers stood at 24 points, although depending on whether Hunt was reinstated in Spain that advantage could have stood at 27. themselves remained in third, just ahead of and the legion based effort. Entry List The full entry list for the is outlined below: Practice Overview Qualifying Practice/qualifying would follow the new pattern established by the FIA for the 1976 season, with three "timed" sessions, supported by a single "untimed" period, spread across Friday and Saturday. The "untimed" hour and a half was meant to allow teams to tryout some race simulation running without risking their grid position, scheduled for Saturday morning. As for a target time the top drivers would be hoping to best a 1:47.82, set by Niki Lauda en-route to pole in 1975. Report There was to be a surprise result during the first "timed" session on Friday morning, as Carlos Pace set the proverbial pace in the , ending the opening period with a 1:48.75. It appeared that the sweeping curves of the Paul Ricard Circuit suited the Alfa F12 more than the recent run of "stop-start" circuits that had hosted Formula One for most of the season. The sister car of Carlos Reutemann was proving less spectacular, but ran reliably enough, meaning the door was open for James Hunt to end the session second fastest in the . Others, however, were not enjoying the flowing nature of Paul Ricard, for the hot temperatures and pursuit of speed meant that some teams were suffering from a range of engine issues. Particularly dejected were the team, who lost Ronnie Peterson's engine in the opening moments of the session, while Hans-Joachim Stuck opened a Pandora's Box of issues the moments he left the garage. The sister car of Arturo Merzario was also having dramas, the Italian managing to rip the nose off after visiting the gravel trap, leaving Vittorio Brambilla as the only March racer not having a major issue. Elsewhere, there were issues for the team as Jody Scheckter arrived back in the pitlane on foot having only completed half a lap. The South African's P34 had shed one of its four front wheels early in the lap, and, despite his best efforts, Scheckter had had to abandon the car out on track. Furious, Ken Tyrrell proclaimed that the issue was electrical as a crew was sent to retrieve the car, upsetting the Lucas employees in the paddock who supplied the team's electrical components. After the lunch break, which saw a large amount of work in the pits for Brabham as Pace came leaping out of his cockpit at the end of the morning with boiling water filling the cockpit, the searing heat of Friday afternoon greeted the field. Pace's engine dramas meant he was powerless to prevent his slip down the overall order, as Hunt hit the top of the timesheets with a 1:47.89 to claim provisional pole. Lauda also joined the fray having spent the morning in the "muletta" Ferrari, ending the day second fastest with teammate Clay Regazzoni just behind. Elsewhere, Peterson was back in the fray and doing well, immediately establishing himself as the fastest of the Marches, although that was only good enough to nudge the top ten. Patrick Depailler, meanwhile, looked a threat for pole after a strong day in the healthier of the Tyrrells, ending the day fourth fastest, just ahead of Pace, while Scheckter was still a second off. Mario Andretti was another to end the day on a high note, ending Friday sixth fastest, as teammate Gunnar Nilsson spent the afternoon in the paddock waiting for his gearbox to be changed. Away from the pinnacle of the field and there was a real scrap to make it onto the grid, with thirty drivers battling to fill twenty-six grid slots. Among the four set to missout at the end of the Friday were Harald Ertl, Loris Kessel and Ingo Hoffmann, with two of the three within a second of twentieth placed Merzario. Jacky Ickx was also in the bottom quartet, although his presence was due to the fact that the Belgian's engine needed to be changed having expired early on in the morning session. Overnight Friday, and the morning Saturday session, would see lots of teams complete major revision work to their cars, from engine changes to rebuilds. Team Lotus were among those with a huge list of work to complete having discovered that Andretti's car had collapsed at the back of the cockpit. The American then spent the morning trying out the team's spare car, only to suffer a catastrophic transmission failure. Jochen Mass, meanwhile, suffered a total engine failure on his McLaren, as did Patrick Nève in the . Unfortunately, Saturday afternoon proved to be even hotter than Friday, meaning there were no major changes at the top of the timesheets. Hunt duly secured pole ahead of Lauda, Depailler and Regazzoni, while Pace's effort from Friday morning was still good enough for fifth. Indeed, only Peterson made an impression in the top ten on Saturday afternoon, moving up to sixth after a late room. In contrast, the fight to qualify would become more heated, although that was only because Ickx got a clean run in finally to leap into the top twenty. Nève was out of action after his morning engine failure, meaning he would slip towards the danger zone as the afternoon came to a close, while Damien Magee was dumped into Ickx's spot. Ultimately, however, the Brit would join Hoffmann, Ertl and Kessel in the dropout section, with Ertl nominated as first reserve having ended the day with the only healthy car as the other three encountered a mechanical issue towards the end of the day. Qualifying Results The full qualifying results for the are outlined below: *TIndicates a driver used their test/spare car to set their best time in that session. *'Bold' indicates a driver's best/qualifying time. ** Ertl was listed as first reserve. Grid **Ertl was listed as first reserve and was allowed to join the back of the grid. Race A busy Saturday night would see complete a complete drivetrain change on Niki Lauda's car, with most of the field also getting some overnight attention. This was required, for race morning proved to be the hottest part of the weekend, causing several issues for Ferrari and during the morning warm-up. For Ferrari there were concerns over an oil leak on Lauda's car, although the Austrian's car proved healthy enough to start, while Brabham were forced to change the entire rear-end of Carlos Pace's car after an engine failure. Report With the pre-race paraphernalia withdrawn, the field of twenty-six qualifiers, plus Harald Ertl in the , lined up on the grid for the start, dictated by a set of lights. Ultimately it was Lauda, in spite of his oil concerns, who made the better start from the inside of the grid, blasting past James Hunt to take the lead into turn one. The rest of the field thundered into the first corner behind them, including the little Hesketh of Ertl, which should have disappeared into the pits. The opening tour of Paul Ricard in 1976 was not a dramatic affair, meaning Lauda came around with a small lead over Hunt, who was himself clear of third placed Clay Regazzoni. Regazzoni himself was leading a train of drivers, including Ronnie Peterson, Patrick Depailler, John Watson, Jody Scheckter, Jacques Laffite, Pace and Carlos Reutemann. The rest of the field came through equally spaced, with the officials opting not to stop Ertl as he came around at the back of the pack. 90,000 people had paid for a ticket to watch the French Grand Prix in 1976, and in the early stages many would have been disappointed to see Lauda pull clear of Hunt at a steady rate. Indeed, the Austrian was pulling a second a lap clear in the early stages of the race, having also set the fastest lap of the Grand Prix on the fourth tour. However, Hunt was not concerned with the sight of the disappearing Ferrari, for he believed that his tyres would last longer than the Austrian's in the searing heat. As the fight for the lead became a strategic battle, there were to be issues in the middle and back of the pack. First out was the interloping Ertl as his Hesketh broke its differential, while Jochen Mass was forced to pit early with nose damage. The German's issue had been caused at the start after the #12 McLaren smacked into the back of Reutemann's , with the German reluctant to pit until he had dropped to the back of the field. Elsewhere, Gunnar Nilsson's miserable weekend came to an end after seven laps, the Swede's gearbox expiring having done so twice during practice. However, as the black-gold rolled into the pits there was uproar among the Ferrari fans, for Hunt and Regazzoni came thundering past to complete lap nine, the Brit duly taking the lead. This was due to the fact that the imperious F12 engine in the back of Lauda's car had expired spectacularly on the Mistral straight, sending the Austrian into a spectacular series of spins. Fortunately Lauda would climb out of the car without any physical injury, and would duly return to the pits to report his exit to the Ferrari pit crew. With Lauda gone there was now a real fight for the lead, for Regazzoni remained glued to Hunt's gearbox, despite the Brit's best efforts to shake the Swiss racer. Peterson was promoted to third a long way off, but he was unable to go after the two leaders due to his pursuers. Indeed, Peterson's was still being attacked by Depailler, Scheckter, Watson, Pace and Laffite, with another gap back to the next scrap at the back of the top ten. It was the fight for third that saw the most action over the following laps, as Depailler finally squeezed the six-wheeled past the March. With the Frenchman quickly disappearing up the road Peterson was left to fight with Scheckter and co for fourth as Depailler fruitlessly chased the leaders. Scheckter would manage to elbow his way past Peterson on lap sixteen, but was unable to disappear, while Vittorio Brambilla was slowly closing in having moved into ninth. With the twenty lap mark fast approaching it seemed inevitable that Hunt would lose the lead, for the McLaren was getting more and more ragged with Regazzoni loomed ever closer. However as the twentieth lap was completed, Hunt came around on his own, as Regazzoni was left pirouetting in the final corner after his engine failed in identical fashion to Lauda's. It was a huge moment, not only in the race but in the Championship, for it proved that the all conquering 312T2 was susceptible to reliability troubles. Hunt was duly left with a commanding lead, allowing him to ease off the pace, for Depailler, safe in second, had also entered a cruise. That left the restored fight for third as the main source of entertainment, for Peterson was still able to get the nose of March alongside Scheckter several times, with Watson and Pace also in contention. As they fought there were a series of retirements from the lower orders, with Henri Pescarolo and Emerson Fittipaldi quietly disappearing, while Hans-Joachim Stuck was cooking through his set of Goodyears. By half distance Hunt and Depailler were set for victory in spite of the heat, neither having to push to keep ahead of the fight for third. Indeed, Scheckter's Tyrrell was beginning to strain itself in the heat, meaning Peterson was getting more and more chances to elbow his way past the South African, with Watson still a threat. Pace had begun to fall away, having the nurse the F12 in his car, meaning he was being caught, slowly, by a disappointed Laffite in the . Elsewhere, Brambilla was to retire when he noticed a warning light on the orange March, an orange light announcing that the Italian was to destroy is engine as it dumped all of its oil. His demise would promote a low-key Andretti into eighth, while Stuck was falling away having developed blisters across one of his colours. In spite of this the German had no trouble keeping Carlos Reutemann at bay, while Tom Pryce and Arturo Merzario scrapped to complete the top ten. The second half of the race saw the fight for third intensify, for Watson began to attack Peterson, while Pace got back among them with the Brabham-Alfa. The main cause for Pace's sudden increase in pace was due to a costly spin for Laffite, who lost the rear of his car in the final sector and damaged the rear aerofoil. The Frenchman rejoined a lap behind and lacked confidence in the rear-end of his car, moments before Pace briefly got ahead of Watson's , only for the Ulsterman to elbow his way back past. As Watson moved back past Pace, Peterson finally got revenge on Scheckter, running the Tyrrell wide to reclaim third, before disappearing off as the South African battled his fading tyres. Indeed, Scheckter was soon found to be battling two issues, his engine also suffering in the heat, meaning both Watson and Pace could take him well before the flag. Andretti would also take the Tyrrell before the end of the race, as Alan Jones disappeared from the action when his suspension fell apart. With that the race looked to be over, although a dramatic late twist saw Peterson's engine cut out just three laps from the end, causing him to coast to a halt on the Mistral. An attempt at restarting got him a few yards before the Swede ultimately conceded defeat, a fuel injection issue the terminal cause. He climbed out his cockpit to hand Watson and Pace a shot at third. Hunt, meanwhile, completed his leisurely cruise to claim his first win of the season, although his tally could double later in the month when the FIA met to debate his disqualification in Spain. Depailler was a satisfied second in front of his home fans, while Watson was a jubilant third, the first podium triumph for himself and Penske. Pace was just over a second behind in fourth, with Andretti and a limping Scheckter completing the top six. Post-race After the race there was to be a revision to the result, although one that would be repealed later in the season. During post race scrutineering, in which the top eight finishers had their cars looked over by some FIA technical officials, it was found that Watson's Penske had an illegal rear wing. The end-plates of the rear aerofoil were found to be ten millimetres taller then permitted and so the Ulsterman was disqualified, although this was only after several hours of debate. Unfortunately for those officials, an FIA tribunal held just 24 hours later opted to reinstate Hunt and Laffite to the results of the 1976 Spanish Grand Prix, after both had been disqualified in post-race scrutineering. With that ruling, the Penske team immediately submitted an appeal, and duly secured a tribunal hearing in September. This meeting would ultimately reinstate Watson to the podium, meaning Penske had their podium, and the FIA's technical rule makers were seen to be toothless. Results The full results for the are outlined below: ** Watson was initially disqualified, but was reinstated after an FIA tribunal on the 24 September, 1976. *† Peterson was classified despite retiring as he had complete 90% of the race distance. Milestones * made their 250th World Championship start. *Henri Pescarolo made his 50th Grand Prix start. *Michel Leclère completed his seventh and final Grand Prix. *Last entry for Damien Magee. *James Hunt claimed 's 75th pole position *Third career win for James Hunt. * earned their 17th victory as a constructor. **Ford Cosworth powered a car to an 89th win in Formula One. **This was also the British squad's 60th trip onto the podium. *Maiden podium finish for John Watson. * earned their first podium visit. Standings Despite failing to score for the first time in 1976, Niki Lauda continued to lead the Championship hunt, who would have had to drop a score after the French Grand Prix if he had finished in the points regardless. James Hunt now moved into second, level on points with Patrick Depailler once his victory in Spain was reinstated, but ahead by virtue of his two wins. Jody Scheckter dropped to fourth ahead of Clay Regazzoni, while John Watson leapt into the top ten after his maiden podium finish. failed to score for the first time since , but still held their commanding lead in the International Cup for Manufacturers. did chip into their lead, reducing the Italian firm's advantage to eighteen points, although closed to within six of the Tyrrell team. continued on in fourth, while four teams were level on six points, with heading that pack. ** Corrected to show points after Hunt was reinstated as the winner of the 1976 Spanish Grand Prix. References Images and Videos: * References: Category:1976 Grands Prix Category:French Grand Prix Category:Formula One races in France